Modular link conveyor chains have enjoyed widespread use in the past several decades as an efficient and effective means of transporting articles. One particular common use of such conveyors is in an arrangement where the articles may adhere to the conveying surface, such as in the case of food products being frozen during conveyance. In this type of arrangement, or simply as a matter of a desire for conveyance over a long distance (such as for cooling, drying, etc.) without the need for wasting valuable floor space, it is also common to convey articles using a side-flexing conveyor chain in a spiral configuration (which typically involves driving the chain using sprocket teeth on a rotating central drum, but the drive arrangement may take different forms as well). Regardless of the form of drive, it can be appreciated that driving of the chain along the spiral path with an elevation change requires a significant input of energy, and thus improving efficiency is a matter of significant concern.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved modular link conveyor that may address any one of these issues or perhaps other different issues that have yet to be identified. The arrangement should be readily adaptable to many different types of conveyors at minimal cost, and potentially applied in a retrofit situation without extensive effort. The arrangement would be especially adapted for use where the articles being conveyed are susceptible to adhering to a flat conveying surface, where there is a need for an efficient transfer of the articles from one conveyor to another, and where it is desirable to maximize heat transfer during conveyance (such as through cooling).